Milk bottle washing and brushing machine



July 31, 1934 J. A. HARRIS 1,968,521

MILK BOTTLE WASHING AND BRUSHING MACHINE 1.115131; 1934.v l J. A. HARRIS1,968,521

MILK BOTTLE WASHING AND BRUSHING MACHINE Filed April 16, 1932 2Sheets-Sheet 2 175511,04- /51 'fan/fs Patented July 31, 1934 MILK BOTTLEWASHING .AND BRUSHING MACHINE vJoseph A. Harris, salt Lake city, UtahApplication )April 16, 1932, Serial No. 605,613

1 Claim.

My invention relates to bottle washing in dairies `and has forits objectto provide a new eflicient and economical bottle washer which washes thebottles with a brush and rinses them afterward to place them incondition for further use. A further object isto provide a bottlewashing and rinsing machine in which a plurality of bottles may beplaced in la case and washed and rinsed in the same machine. Y f A stillfurther object is to provide a bott washer having `a slidable` bottlecasein which the bottles 4are'placed, which case is then closed andmoved forward to contact the stationary rotating bottle` washing brushesand which case is then withdrawn and dropped over vertical rinsing tubeswhere the bottles are rinsed. Y

`A still furtherobjeotis to provide a bottle washer which will clean thebottle inside and outside with a. strong lye solution, and which bottleis held stationary while-the cleaning brush revolves therein "withforced draft of `washing liquid through the `'core of the brush into thebottle, and which' bottle may then be released slightlyrand allowedtorevolve by the motion ofthe brush, washing the outside ofv the-bottleon cleaning strips or brushes, carried in the bottlecasalp l f` i eThese objects I-'accomplish with thedevice illustratedin theaccompanying drawings in which similar numeralsvand letters ,ofreference indi- ',catelike parts `throughout the several Views and.asdescribed `in the specication forming a part of' this application andpointed Vvout in the appended claim. e r e i Inthedrawings 1` have showne s Figure 1 as aside elevation of the device, parts being cut away.` l

`Figure 2 is a` plan View of Figure l with only a` portion of the deviceshown. A

Figure-.3 is a vertical ysection of Figure 1 showing the bottle holdingcase.

Figure 4 is a front elevation of the bottle case.

Figure 5 is a Vertical section of a bristle type of washing brush.

Figure 6 is a section of a fabric bag type of washing brush.

Figure '7 is an end view of the driving mechanisrn for driving therotating brushes.

Figure 8 is a side elevation of a semi-elliptical spring device fordriving' the washing solution from the bottles and for lowering thebottle case into the washing tank.

In the drawings I have shown the washing solution tank as A, and therinsing tank as B.

These tanksare made joined together for cony venience and are providedwith guide rails l and 2 on the sides thereof in which I operate mybottle case C. The bottle case C is made of two sections 3 and 4 securedtogetherby hinges and each section is provided with a plurality of milkbottle shaped depressions or forms 6, in the shape of half of a Vmilkbottle so that when the two forms are placed together they willcompletely encompass the milk bottles therebetween. Any number of formsmay be made in the case C. In alignment with the outer largest diameterof the milk bottle I provide La hole to receive the open end of outsidewashing and flushing or rinsing jets.

Onto the back side of each side of the casing 70 C,I provide hand grips8 by which the operator may hold the two casings solidly together tohold the bottles from rotation therein or the top seotion maybe slightlyraised to allow the bottle to rotate within the casing form and eachform is provided with either longitudinal brushes 9 `'carried in thecasing along each side and across itherbottom ofthe bottle form 6 asshown in Figure 3 orwith a lining of some heavy cloth, said 80 brush :orlining to hold the bottle from rotation vwhen the two forms 3 and 4 areheld together.

To wash the exterior of the bottle the upper portion ofthe casing C isslightly raised to allow 'the bottle to rotate therein.

vThe top casing 3 is provided with an overlapping nap 10 along the backside thereof to prevent the washing solution from coming back onto the`operator when the upper half 3 is raised to allow the bottle to rotatein the case C. .The case is provided with suitable rollers 11 on whichthe case may be moved forward and back over the rails 1 and 2 and theends of the section 4 of the oase are provided with similar rollers 11`to prevent binding on the sides of the rails when the case is moved.

Along lthe back side of the tank A, I provide two rows of spaced apartaligned bearings 13 and 14 through which bearings, hollow drive shafts15 are passed. Between the two bearings 13 and 14 on the shafts 15, Iprovide sheave wheels 15a. Onto the outer ends of the shafts 15, Iconnect fluid pipes 16 by packing nuts 1'7 being screwed onto the endsof the pipes and carrying the ends of the shafts 15 rotatably therein.The inner ,105 free ends of the shafts 15 are provided with couplings 18into which couplings the cores 19 of the washing brushes 20 are screwed.The washing brushes 20 may be made of various materials such as bristle,fabric, or any suitable brushing i710 material. The cores 19 of thebrushes are hollow to allow the fluid from the pipes 16 to passtherethrough and outlet ports 21 are provided in the cores to allow thesolution to be sprayed therefrom into the bottle.

In the type of brush shown in Figure 6 of the drawings a fabric bag 22is provided with one end closed around the core 23, by a clamp 24. 'Iheend of the core is enlarged and hollow with ports therethrough to allowfor flow of uid therefrom and to prevent puncturing the bag when it isbeing inserted into the milk bottle.

The fluid pipes 16 are connected together by a pipe 28 and with a iiuidpump 25, which pump is in open connection with the fluid in the tank A.The brushes and fluid pump are driven by a motor M, which motor ismountedadjacent the tank A and has a driving pulley on each end thereofto drive the pump from one pulley and to drive the sheave wheels orpulleys of the drive shafts of the brushes from the other pulley. A belt26 drives the sheave wheels 15a.

rIhe drive belt 26 encircles the pulley on the motor and is engaged downunder the first two sheave wheels, up over the top of the next two, downunder the next and up to the motor pulley, rIhis is continued in sets oftwo where there are more shafts in larger machines. This makes thesecond set of wheels driven in the opposite direction to the rst set.

A pipe 29 connects the pipe 28 from the pump 25 with outside washingjets 30, which jets are adapted to rit into the holes l in the case C toforce fluid into the case around the perimeter of the bottles. When thecase is moved forward a valve 31 is operated to open the flow of fluidinto the pipes 16 and into the jets 30. The case actuates a bell cranklever 32 which in turn opens the valve, and the valve is provided with aspring to close the ow of fluid when the case is moved back.

The rinsing portion of the device is as follows:

The side rails 1 and 2 are cut at 35 with a false portion 36 setthereinto, said false section being spring supported with the springs 37adjustable andv of sufcient power to hold the section in place, with theweight of the bottles and case in place, until forced down by theoperator.

In the bottom of the tank B, I provide a series of internal and externalrinsing jets 40 and 41 respectively, said jets to be turned on when thelease is pressed down until the valve lever 38 -opens the valve 39,turning the rinsing medium into the jets. This rinsing medium may beclear water, steam or a solution used for rinsing.

To rinse the bottles the case C is raised onto its front edge onto thefalse rail section 26.

In Figure 8 I have shown a spring suspension of the bottle case and thisis accomplished by securing two elliptical springs 45 to the rails 1 and2, and on the ends of the springs 45 I provide depending rods 46 towhich a cross foot treadle 47 is secured so that with downward pressureof the foot on the treadle the springs will be flexed downward. I thenprovide spaced apart rollers 48 and 49 on each end of the case C, saidrollers to engage the top side of the springs 45 when the case iswithdrawn from the washing brushes. The incline of the springs tips thecase forward, and all liquid in the bottles is drained out in thewashing solution tank. The rollers raise the vcase C from the tracks 1and 2 onto the springs, and notches 50 are provided in the top of thesprings to engage the front rollers 49 when the case has been drawn backthereto, and when the rollers 49 engage the notches the operator raisesthe handles 8 of the case, tilting the case to a vertical position asshown in the dotted lines in Figure 8. 'Ihe operator then depresses thefoot treadle flexing the springs and lowering the case 6 into therinsing tank where the bottles are rinsed, by the jets 40 and 41.

The operation of my machine is as follows:

The case C is opened and bottles placed in each form. The case is thenclosed and moved forward over the tracks until the brushes are in theends of the bottles. on the fluid and it is forced into the bottlesthrough the brushes and around the bottles through the jets. To Wash theoutside of the bottles the top portion 3 is slightly raised until theforce of the brushes revolving in the bottles imparts the rotatingmotion to the bottles and the fabric or brushes 9 in the case C cleansthe outside of the bottles.

When the bottles are Washed inside and out,

the case is drawn back until it is over the false f section 36 in therails 1 and 2 and the case is then turned onto the front edge andpressed down. This compresses the springs and engages the lever 38,turning the rinsing solution into the jets 40 and 41, rinsing theoutside and inside of the bottles. The pressure is then released fromthe case and the springs raise the case again to the level of the railsand the case is set down horizontally on the rails again where it isthen opened and another batch of bottles set therein.

Having thus described my invention I desire to secure by Letters Patentand claim:

In a bottle washing device a plurality of rotary brushes vhaving hollowcores with ports through the side wall thereof to spray liquid into theinterior of the bottles; a case in which said bottles are carried formedof like forms hingedly connected to receive and engage the bottlestherebetween, said case to carry the bottles onto or away from saidbrushes; means whereby one of said forms may be swung away from theother form to allow the bottles to rotate therein; and means carried insaid case to clean the exterior of the bottles.

JOSEPH A. HARRIS.

The lever 32 then turns Cil

